All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

Too dumb for the arthouse, but too smart for the mall multiplex, the movie satisfies, paradoxically, precisely because it doesn't deliver on expectations.

Levine has fun with the genre, but he's found more interesting movies to make since. "Mandy" isn't quite dandy, but it's a cut above average.

"Mandy" is a sturdy little slasher film, nothing more.

While some of the kills are sufficiently clever and gnarly, "Mandy Lane" is never particularly frightening. And the twist at the end raises the wee issue of character motivation-or lack thereof.

There's a slightly nasty twist to some of the violence, with an air of school shooter menace ultimately creeping in as the group's tormentor is revealed.

A slightly artsy attempt to revive the teen slasher movie, "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" drifts awkwardly between popcorn entertainment and angsty mood piece.

...a less-than-auspicious debut for a filmmaker who has gone onto bigger and better things (ie there was nowhere but up for Levine, really).

What we might actually call a "thinking man's slasher flick."

The film's ambitions are respectable, but it unfortunately doesn't live up to them.

This isn't a masterpiece, just a well made effort by someone who seemingly understands the pros and cons of how to deliver the shivers.

The third act twist is what's made this one's inflated reputation, but it's what makes this more risible than a mere genre entry.

The movie is well-made, with more effort placed on building tension than on creating bloody payoffs.